Monday, May 16, 2011

High-Performance Eyewear for the Skies and Beyond

The luxury Lifestyle blog (the home of luxury Lifestyle) presents High-Performance Eyewear for the Skies and Beyond.

When avid pilot Jeff Herold created Scheyden in 2000, his goal was to produce precision eyewear designed to the specific needs of the aviation industry. To that end, he fashioned a series of sunglasses that easily and quickly adapts to ever-changing light conditions in the skies. Herold even created a patented flip-up feature that turns ordinary prescription eyewear into cockpit-ready sunglasses. Now the Huntington Beach, Calif.-based entrepreneur has introduced Scheyden’s Composite Hybrid collection, a new line of wraparound-style sunglasses that combines cedar-rolled composite frames with flexible, hypoallergenic nickel silver temples and cloisonné tips for both weightlessness and comfort. The technically advanced collection, introduced at this year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, can be fitted with either prescription glass or distortion-free CR-39 lenses, a lightweight plastic polymer which, ironically, was first used to create fuel tanks for B-17 bomber aircraft during World War II.

The black or tortoiseshell frames come in four wraparound styles and are treated with a hydrophobic coating that allows them to repel water and perspiration. They also feature several layers of magnesium hexafluoride to help diffuse ambient light, a feature that has already made them popular among professional golfers and other athletes in addition to the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Priced from $259 to $309, the Composite Hybrid range currently is available at better commercial aviation shops and custom eyewear retailers. (800.851.2758, www.scheyden.com)